This invention relates to welding torches, of the kind that are used by welders in industry, where the torch is intended to be held in the hand of the welder for hours at a stretch. It is all too often the case that the welder develops painful symptoms, or at least fatigue, in the hand and wrist, from holding the torch. It is not so much that the torch is heavy in itself, but the problem is that the torch has a hose or pipe connecting it to the welding service center, and this hose can impose a constant drag on the torch, making the torch cumbersome and difficult to manipulate.
It is part of the welding torch operator""s task to hold the torch, in his hand, perhaps for hours. The service hose of the torch contains the electricity supply, the consumable welding wire, the inert-gas supply, the cooling water circulation conduits, and perhaps a vacuum suction hose for extracting the fumes, which, even to the habitual expert welder, can make the torch seem extremely heavy after a while.
One of the problems is that the welder must grip the torch handle in his hand, and must grip it quite tightly, in order to manipulate the torch and hose, and to hold the torch in position. Plus, it is in the nature of welding that the grip must be maintained at all times: the torch cannot be held steady, by resting the torch against something. It is also recognized that much of the fatigue of the hands experienced by welders arises rather from the need to maintain a tight gripping hold on the torch, using the fingers of the torch hand, in order to maintain the correct orientation of the torch, than from actually moving and positioning the torch, using the wrist.
Previous attempts to make it easier to grip the torch handle have been in the areas of making the handle curved to better fit the natural shape of the hand, or of having recessed finger grips moulded into the (plastic) handle.
The invention is aimed at taking away the need for the welder to grip the torch handle. The invention provides an over-handle attachment, which enables the welder to slide the first web area of his hand, i.e. the web area between the thumb and forefinger, into the space between the torch handle and the overhandle, and the overhandle is so designed that this space receives the first web area, and (slightly) squeezes the first web area. In the conventional torch handle, the welder""s hand and the torch could only be integrated into a manipulative whole unit when the welder gripped the handle tightly; with the handle attachment of the invention, the welder""s hand and the torch can form an integrated manipulative unit without the need for the welder to grip the torch handle.
Of course, many different types of articles are adapted to be held in the hand, and to be manipulated by a person. Handles and grips have been designed for all kinds of specialized functions. The present invention is aimed specifically at making it possible for a welder to complete a long period of work without hand-fatigue, recognizing that the major cause of hand fatigue in welders has been the constant drag of the hose that connects the torch to the service center. The welder not only has to support the weight of the torch, but the presence of the hose means that the welder also has to exert a forceful grip on the torch, to maintain the torch in its correct orientation, against the constant drag or pull of the hose, and it is this latter requirement that is mainly responsible for the fatigue. Basically, if the hose were not present, there would be no need for the invention.
It might be considered that one way in which the welder""s hand might be attached to the torch, without the need for the welder to grip the torch, would be for the torch to be strapped to the welder""s hand. However, this would not be advisable. Welding can be dangerous, in that accidents, especially electrical accidents, occur all too frequently, usually due to the welder not paying full attention to the task. The welder must be able to set the torch down, and withdraw his hand, with a minimum of impediment from the torch itself. The handle attachment as described herein is aimed at creating a firm, secure, unity of the welder""s hand with the torch, and yet is aimed at making it possible for the welder to release the torch immediately from his hand, should the occasion arise.
Welding accidents and injuries can be the subject of liability payments, and one aim of the invention is to reduce exposure to such payments. One of the common injuries suffered by welders, for which compensation payments are often sought, is muscle strain in the hands, which is what the invention seeks to reduce.